Moratorium On Low-Income Housing

City Councilor and Mayoral candidate Bud L. Williams has called for a Moratorium on Low Income Housing Initiatives in Springfield.In making his call for a moratorium, Councilor Williams stated “it is clear that Springfield has done its fair share of low income housing in western Massachusetts. It is now time for an inventory of low income housing units to be conducted in the city; and a judgment made as to how many more, if any, should be approved with use of city financial resources. Councilor Williams went on to say “it is also time for a summit meeting of all western Massachusetts communities to develop a strategy on how best to proceed” and “so every community meets its responsibilities under the law.”Councilor Williams went on to say “all across America, housing experts, including HUD have rejected the policy of warehousing people in high density developments. Longhill Gardens is a prime example of a past project that should have been demolished and turned into open space or single family units.”Williams noted, “even with the proposed density reduction for the Longhill Gardens project, it is still far too dense for the neighborhood. Creating open space makes more sense which will assist in the revitalization of the Forest park neighborhood.”